Michael Gove has made history by becoming the first Conservative education secretary to send his offspring to a state secondary school. His daughter Beatrice will take up a place at Grey Coat Hospital school in London later this year.

Grey Coat Hospital was first established in 1698 as a boy's school for the poor of Westminster but became a girls-only school in the 19th century. It is a Church of England comprehensive, with admission based on bands of ability and, in some cases, church attendance and language skills.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the education secretary's decision was noteworthy.

"We congratulate the secretary of state and his family on their choice. This is a further sign that our state schools are in excellent health," Lightman said. "We would suggest that all cabinet ministers follow Mr Gove's example and send their children to one of the country's many fine state schools."

The school converted to become an academy in 2012, although its last Ofsted inspection dates back to 2009. Then the inspectors commented: "The Grey Coat Hospital is an outstanding school. It successfully brings together students from a range of backgrounds and enables them to make good progress to reach exceptionally high standards at GCSE.

"The excellent care, guidance and support within a strong Christian ethos underpin students' outstanding personal development and wellbeing. Parents express an extremely high level of support for the school."

Its overall GCSE and A-level results put it in the top 20% of state schools. According to Ofsted data, the students come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, with the proportion eligible for free school meals equal to the national average of 26%.

Gove and his wife, the journalist Sarah Vine, are reported to have chosen Grey Coat as their first preference. Its location in Westminster is so close to the Department for Education's headquarters that the school is visible from the DfE building. The couple are also said to have included another state comprehensive, Holland Park in west London, as one of their preferences.

One surprise is that Gove's family chose Grey Coat Hospital over the West London free school, of the type championed by Gove and close to where his family lives. But with the west London free school boasting around 10 applications for every place this year, it seems to have managed without the Gove imprimatur.

The school said it did not comment on admission decisions, but the head teacher, Siân Maddrell, is quoted on Grey Coat's website as saying: "The aim of the school is to enable girls to take charge of their learning, make decisions based on Christian values, live in the world as in­dependent women, and meet the challenges of the 21st century."

Gove's decision will add to pressure on his party's leader, David Cameron, to choose a state school for his daughter, Nancy, when applications for places for next year at state secondary schools open later this year. Beatrice and Nancy attend the same state primary school in west London, and Cameron previously stated that he wanted his children to attend state secondary schools.